Shandur Polo Festival Expedition

The experience

Shandur Polo Festival Expedition

The world's highest polo ground: Chitral vs Gilgit, free style and untamed, on a flat topped pass ringed by snow.

History & background

Shandur Pass has hosted this rivalry since 1936, when the British political agent of Chitral, Major Cobb, organised the first formal match between the two regions to channel a much older mountain tradition into a structured contest. Unlike modern polo, the Shandur game is played without the safety rules introduced elsewhere in the 20th century: no umpire intervention for rough play, no substitutions, and matches decided as much by horsemanship and nerve as by skill. Local legend traces the sport itself back over a thousand years, brought to Chitral and Gilgit along trade routes from Central Asia, long before it was codified anywhere else in the world. Today the festival draws teams and spectators from across the region, camping for days on the open plateau, and remains one of the few places on earth where polo is still played the way it always was, at altitude, on turf, and entirely on nerve.

Day by day

The programme

1. D1Islamabad to Chitral

   Scenic drive or short flight.

2. D2Chitral to Shandur

   Climb to the pass, festival camp, opening matches.

3. D3Final Day

   The final, trophy ceremony, lakeside walks.

4. D4Departure

   Morning drive or fly back to Islamabad.